


Third Time’s the Charm

by EnjeruTantei, Old_Soul



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Fluff, I’m not good at tagging, M/M, Modern AU, Out of character characters, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a rare pairing that needs more love, b-day fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 03:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16076969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnjeruTantei/pseuds/EnjeruTantei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Old_Soul/pseuds/Old_Soul
Summary: His left finger tapped on the steering wheel in a somewhat nervous tick. It’s just some milk. 2 quarts would last him until the weekend, when he could return to routine. 5 minutes. What could possibly happen in 5 minutes?Apparently? A lot.





	Third Time’s the Charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loveowls9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveowls9/gifts).



> We wrote this for one of my best friends, and she has a birthday coming up. ;D Hope that you enjoy this Loveowl9 or anyone else that might come accept this fic.

Howard Link was not having a good day. First, it started with his alarm clock not going off like it should. The clock was set, just like any other day. The only difference? Lavi thought that it would be hilarious to see “prim and proper Link” out of sorts. From then, the day simply went downhill. 

The coffee shop was out of tea, his usual route was blocked up with traffic, even work was slow today.

Then, Howard Link ran out of milk. You see, Link never ran out of milk. He prided himself in always having everything he needed. Even when it came to things like Mirin or extra toiletries, he never ‘ran out.’ It was so uncharacteristic of him to forget to get something as simple as milk.

He needed his milk. Although he would never admit it even under the most severe of torture, it was one of his few guilty pleasures. Just the idea of not being able to have milk and cookies threatened to force him into a bought of depression.

And so here he was, parked in front of the grocery store parking lot in his 2006 Honda on a Tuesday night. Young enough to be cheap but old enough to be classy, his car was enough to get him around, without being overly expensive. 

His left finger tapped on the steering wheel in a somewhat nervous tick. It's just some milk. Two quarts would last him until the weekend, when he could return to routine. Five minutes. What could possibly happen in five minutes?

With a new-found resolve, Link stepped outside of his car, shutting the door behind himself. Wegman’s Produce Market was written in its signature fancy cursive on the sign above him. Despite the store’s widely known popularity in the United States for being a large and diverse store, this particular location was somewhat smaller than some of its counterparts, and it showed. There was some visible blemishes in the paint job on the sign, an obvious clue of mechanical weathering at work, and some of the grass in the front lawn looked like it a few weeks overdue. 

But that’s just a part of being in a somewhat small town. Living in Wolksberry, West Virginia came with older, smaller stores and shops. There was not much to do, and anyone with a social circle knew most of the residents in town. Everyone knew everyone.

Link wasn’t an exceptionally social person but he prided himself on knowing the people around himself. He knew his co-workers Lavi, Mr. Lee, and Lenalee at the law office pretty good, and he knew his usual clerk at Wegman’s, Allen, well enough. 

Allen knew how to make the interaction between customer and employee less awkward, and didn’t keep him with useless rants or grumpy attitudes. It was a relief not having to worry about potentially offending someone with his overt brassiness for once.

He opened the front door and walked in. The grocery store was the same as it always was. Dozens of desserts lined the entrance in an effort to draw customers in with their disgustingly sweet confections. Checkout counters stretched out to the left, with three different counters for when the store was busy, which was almost never when he was there. Link was sad to note that Allen was not at one of the counters, but also glad because Allen was a hard worker and deserved some time off. 

He made his way over to the dairy aisle. After briefing going over the selection- Fat Free, 2%, Chocolate, 1%- he grabbed two carteens and held them in his arm; there was no point in using a basket or cart for only two cartons of milk. Link briefly looked around to see if there was anything else that he could have possibly forgotten but found nothing.

After taking a breath to curb the slowly rising irritation he was experiencing at the situation, he left the dairy aisle and approached the checkout counters. Since his usual checkout clerk wasn’t here- don’t think about that, Link, -today, he entered line number two, which wasn’t checking anyone out at the moment. He placed the milk on the counter, focusing on setting the cartons in a neat line.

The moment that he looked up, he felt himself take a quick intake of breath. The man in front of him was beyond handsome. His midnight black hair was cut somewhat short but not too short. It had a wild bedhead style bordering on the side of careless. Link wanted to run his fingers through the surely silky locks. The man’s eyes appeared to almost be a beautiful shade of gold. His skin was smooth with a deep healthy glow to it, like caramel.

Link glanced down at his badge, or where there normally would be one, and drew a blank. All that was there, was a blank place with no name. Don’t all of the employees here have badges? He tried thinking back to any of the other employees that he has seen here before but couldn’t remember anyone other than Allen. Was his social circle really that small?

His gaze raised up to the sexy man’s face. Amusement glittered in the man’s molten gaze, and heat burned across Link’s face like wildfire. 

“It’s not what you think,” He blurted out in embarrassment. He couldn’t believe that he had been caught staring.

The man smirked, practically purring, “Oh, _darling_ , I don’t mind.” The curve of his perfect lips were utterly distracting. 

Link just wanted to die in that moment. He would be perfectly content if the floor were to swallow him up right then and there. The room felt like it was swaying, and he simply couldn’t stop squirming. The heated gaze of the mystery man almost felt physical across his body, but he couldn’t look away.

The moment stretched long and tense, and Link began to feel faint from the suffocating pressure of the man’s gaze. He should probably say something, but his throat was beyond constricted and his heart pounded in his ears so loud that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts

The man let out a low, sensual hum that resonated in his ears as he grasped the milk cartons to scan them. Heat pooled in his stomach, and his fingertips tingled, his mind blissfully blank. How could a complete stranger affect him so much? 

Link had almost always known that he was into men, but he has never gone on any of the dates that his friends ever did. Dating was never really his thing, and he was notorious enough for it that when he was in highschool he had been nicknamed quite a few rude names.

No one could keep up with his razor-sharp wit and he was quickly labeled the ‘bookworm that wasn’t available for dating.’

“Your total is $4:19.” A shiver ran down his spine. God, the man’s voice was so good - Silky and smooth like chocolate, but natural and charming at the same time.

After another moment of standing there like a complete idiot, blinking numbly, the man gave a small cough of amusement.

Instantly, he dropped his gaze to fumble his way through his wallet to find the right card. His hand trembled in both shame and excitement. Why did he have to make such a fool of himself? Link ‘the ice prince who couldn’t handle one hot guy’. 

When he found it, he dove his hand in and pulled it out. In his haste, the card slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor with a loud clang. The rest of the shop didn’t seem to notice, but to Link it might as well has been a gunshot. He hastily bent down to pick up the card, and offered it.

Rather than simply grabbing the card, the man grasped his hand gently. Link sucked in a deep breath, resisting the urge to keen at the touch. Flustered, Link glanced up at the handsome man, his eyes fluttering with the butterflies in his stomach. 

“What’s your name, _darling_?” He grinned like the cat that ate the canary, caressing Link’s hand soothingly. 

Link swallowed harshly, “Link. Howard Link.” He bit out weakly, suppressing a low groan of pleasure. The man licked his lips sensually, and Link gripped his slacks with his free hand.

“Uh-um…” God, he was a complete mess. The man gave Link a knowing smirk. He almost looked… _pleased._

After another moment of squirming, the man finally offered a little bit of mercy, and let his hand fall back to his side, taking the card.

The man swiped the card, and pressed a few buttons, taking his time with paying for the order. Weren’t there others in line? A quick glance behind him, answered that question pretty quickly. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man printed his receipt and held out his hand with both the slip and card laying innocently in the palm. 

Link reached out to take them back hesitantly. The man’s hand grasped his lightly, letting his fingertips linger. Link resisted the urge to shudder.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, _Link._ ” The man purred in delight, grinning easily.

Link flushed cherry red in embarrassment, and turned to leave, flustered beyond belief. The man’s gaze followed him the entire time out the door.

* * *

Link liked to think that he had a good sense of composure. In fact, he was proud of it. Staying on task was much easier for him than most, and he could keep focused even in the most distracting of unusual of circumstances. He could even keep a straight face to even the crudest of Lavi’s jokes.

This was why he was so embarrassed with how he reacted four days ago. He never lost composure - Never lost control like that. It was beyond mortifying just remembering the experience.

 _And pleasurable_ , another part of his brain whispered in reminder.

With a warm flush and a shiver, Link swallowed harshly to force down the low groan that wanted to escape his throat. He blankly stared at the screen, not understanding a thing.

“What’s going on with _you_?~ ” Lavi sang from the cubicle next door.

Link instantly straightened in his chair, replying politely “It is none of your business, Bookman Jr.” If oblivious, always-on-another-planet Lavi, had noticed, then it truly was pretty bad. What has the world come to?

Lavi leaned back in his chair, tapping his disorganized desk impatiently. “It is, when you won’t pay attention to my jokes,” he pouted, “and _besides_ , you haven’t even lectured me about my ‘allergy to efficiency and progress’ even once all week.”

Now, officially nervous at being called out, Link mumbled some choice words under his breath that he wouldn’t be caught dead repeating. 

Glancing at the clock, he stood, pulling his high-end jacket from the back of his office chair and slipped it on. Before Lavi could continue with his questioning, Link politely told him, “See you Monday, Bookman Jr.”

Link then officially made the fastest walk out to the parking lot of his life.

* * *

As usual, Link stopped by the grocery store on his way home. Efficiently blocking out the memories of the last time he had been there, he quickly filled up his basket with his usual list of necessities. Bread, eggs, _milk_ , tea, biscuits, edamame, butter, cheese…

Finally, Link grabbed the last item on his list, and turned into the main walkway before heading towards checkout, expecting to see Allen’s pure, brilliant white hair. 

Except, he didn’t. In fact, Allen was nowhere to be found. What he did find actually made his blood run cold. 

Molten gold pools of heat seared into his brain like a brand of ownership.

Panicked, Link abandoned course, and practically dived to the nearby aisle, nearly hyperventilating. Heat crashed over him in a wave of arousal as all the memories of those eyes flashed before his in full technicolor.

Now Link didn’t swear. He found the whole practice vulgar, unseemly, and all around unnecessary, but this was enough to drive any sane and sophisticated person to the point of madness. 

What. The. Actual. _Fuck_? 

What was _he_ doing here? Link wanted to just break down and cry where he stood. He couldn’t take much more of this. Where was Allen when he really needed him?

Sucking in a deep, settling breath, Link peeked around the corner of the aisle to look at the checkout registers. Almost all of them were empty. All but one.

A familiar head of handsome, black hair met his view, followed by a lithe, sexy body clothed in the Wegman’s uniform. God, that man could make anything look good. 

The store was practically vacant at this time of day, so the mystery man was standing at the register, looking bored out of his mind. Somehow, the man was attractive even when he was bored. It was like he had some sort of sixth sense for when people were watching him.

Or was he like this all the time? The thought made Link turn back into the safety of the aisle, with a shiver. For several long, torturous minutes, Link twitched and fidgeted awkwardly, trying to build up the courage to turn back. 

His feet began to ache from standing so long, and his basket grew heavier by the second. Should he wait until someone else came on shift? How long would he gave to wait? If his milk spoiled, it would defeat the purpose of shopping and he would have to come again. 

The sound of the front door opening interrupted Link’s thoughts. He glanced around the corner discretely to look at the newcomer. Only there wasn’t one. Had someone just left the building? A customer perhaps? But he didn’t remember seeing anyone at the checkout counter. Link peaked around the corner again to steal another look at the infamous clerk in the checkout line. It was then that he noticed that the person who had left must have been the other employee at the counter. The mystery man was only one still on shift apparently. 

Link glanced down at the basket of groceries in his hands. What should he do? He still needed to checkout and the chances of anyone else coming in were unlikely, if not zero with so many people taking off for the holidays. 

Maybe he could just buy his groceries tomorrow. Or perhaps he could last until next week - that was reasonable, right? People did it all the time.  
Only he couldn’t. It wasn’t like he could eat out all week; he had a budget to uphold, and he needed his groceries. 

This was silly. He was seriously considering leaving without buying anything, sneaking out the backdoor like a little child. What was he, two years old? He could handle one man. Five minutes. What could go wrong in five minutes?

With a new-found sense of courage and pride, Link stood up straighter (When did he begin slouching?), raised his chin up, and walked back into the vacant checkout area. 

Instantly, he felt the man's gaze on him. Link continued walking towards the counter, maintaining a straight face. The mystery man was at register number three this time- Allen’s line during Allen’s shift; Where was Allen when you needed him? 

After arriving at the counter, Link began placing his items on the moving conveyor belt. Milk, bread, eggs, peanut butter- the list went on. He tried to go over the list in his head to make sure that he didn’t miss anything but failed. His mind was just so blissfully blank. He couldn’t remember, couldn’t _think_. The man was smiling at him- has been ever since he walked out of the aisle like a timid, spineless- _Okay. New topic._

Link glanced up at him to confirm his inner theories; Yep, still smiling. Does he brush his teeth four times a day? No one who brushes their teeth only three times a day could get them to be _that_ white. Why did this have to be so _awkward_? 

“Where’s Allen?” 

The man in front of him shifted, causing Link to look up to meet his eyes willingly for the first time that day. A look of confusion met his gaze.

Did he just say that out loud? Link could feel even his ears burning at this point. His face must look like a red hot stove top. 

“U-uh oh, I-I um-“ He stammered but was cut off.

“He had something important to take care of so I’m covering for him, _darling_ ,” the man explained softly with a smile without judgement, “Makes him feel better about leaving this old place empty. It’s not like we get very busy here this time of year.” 

A friend then. A close friend - His boyfriend, perhaps? The thought sent a wave of ugly jealousy through him. The logical part of his rebelled at the reaction, viciously reminding him that he didn’t even know his name, much less have any kind of claim over the sexy man.

“O-oh…” He replied weakly, glancingly down at his poorly clasped sweating hands. He fidgeted in place, the nerves finally kicking in as a familiar gaze fell on him. It felt like bearing his soul to the devil.

 _And you love it_ , the traitorous part of him whispered in his ear. How did he get himself in this mess?

Relief flooded his senses at the sound of the back door opening, and he turned his head to catch a look at the newcomer. 

“Allen?” Link asked, surprised to see him again so soon after being told that he was busy. Upon this revelation, his mind began to work at light speed, analyzing the scenario with the quick mind of a professional lawyer. Had he been lied to? What would be the benefit? It wasn’t like Link had given the mystery man any reason to doubt his sincerity. 

Other than making an utter fool of himself, the disgruntled part of him reminded. Unsettled and confused, Link turned back to look at the checkout clerk, resisting the urge to glare accusingly at the handsome man. 

_But why would he lie?_ The logical, unbiased part of him pointed out calmly. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Allen’s kind voice. 

“Thank you for agreeing to cover my shift for me, Uncle - It really means a lot to me.” He thanked earnestly, with a hug behind the counter. 

_Uncle?_ So they were family. Relieved at the new information, yet embarrassed at jumping to conclusions, Link held in a sigh of relief, and struggled to maintain a blank expression through his embarrassment.

Link shifted in place awkwardly. This was obviously meant to be somewhat private. 

“Of course, Allen. Anytime.” Allen’s uncle replied, the smile never leaving his face. It struck Link that this time, it seemed to be more genuine rather than assumed. In fact, it seemed quite pleasant to look at, when that smile was not being directed at him embarrassing himself.

Thankfully, Allen seemed realize that He had an audience, and turned to greet him, “Oh, hello Link.”

“Hello, Allen,” he mumbled politely.

The white-haired teen smiled charmingly, “While I would love to stay and chat with you, I actually have someone that I need to go meet.” Upon confirmation of the earlier statement, Link felt a little bit of shame for his quick judgement. 

“Ah, not a problem, Allen,” he dismissed, his eyes glancing towards Allen’s uncle to spy his reaction to their short conversation.

Link could easily lose himself in that handsome man’s gaze, his presence. His warm, amused orbs sucked him in effortlessly, and swallowed his mind whole. It was like being submerged in the ocean, like you could dive down for miles, without reaching the bottom.

Link’s mind was blissfully quiet, for once not worrying about observing so obsessively. He was drowning - He didn’t have to think, and it was _glorious-addicting-perfect_. 

He had no idea how long he stood there, staring at the black-haired man. He had no concept of time under this heavy blanket of pleasurable silence.

It wasn’t until he heard a quiet chuckle from his right- Allen?- that he realized where exactly he was. And what exactly he was doing.

Immediately, a deeply mortified blush spread furiously across his features. Everything burned.  
Link lowered his eyes to the counter, the label on his loaf of bread suddenly deeply fascinating. What was _wrong_ with him? 

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it. See you later, Uncle. Bye, Link.” Allen called. Link could hear the knowing smile in his voice. 

The front door chimed happily, as the white-haired boy. Silence settled over the pair heavily. Link felt like he might suffocate right there in the awkwardness of the moment. After several long tortuous moments of silence, Allen’s Uncle resumed scanning and bagging Link’s forgotten groceries as if nothing happened.

He cleared his throat, causing Link to look back up at him, “Will this be all?” Link followed his gaze to his shopping basket where he had forgotten a can of mushrooms. Link silently begged for the ground the swallow him whole, as he grabbed it out of the basket quickly. He blushed before setting the can on the counter in front of him hesitantly. 

Just as Link pulled his hand back, their fingers grazed each other. The memory of their last conversation replayed itself in his mind fluidly. When the last item was bagged, Link fled the store without looking back. He simply grabbed the two bags and walked as fast as he could back towards his car.

“Wait!”

He didn’t process stopping. The command sent a shiver of delight down Link’s back, and heat pulled in abdomen. He wanted to keep moving, but his legs felt like lead.

He didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. Schooling his expression into something a bit more appropriate, Link turned toward the sexy man with a dry swallow.

The man was partially hunched over, sucking in deep mouthfuls of air to catch his breath. A faint rosiness lit up his face, and his hair was even wilder than before.

“You forgot your card,” He told Link, in a deep, rich voice, once he caught his breath. It felt sinful to hear. He fidgeted nervously, shifting his bags of groceries into one hand, before reaching up to take it out of his outstretched hand. 

There was a moment of brief silence while Link stood there like an complete idiot, contemplating which reality was worse- that he had forgotten his credit card for the first time in four years since he had gotten the card, or that he had made Allen’s handsome uncle come out here to give it back to him. Unsure what else to do, Link decided to simply thank him. 

“Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience…?” He started questioningly.

Almost shyly, he leaned forward, grasping Link’s hand gently. His skin tingled where they touched. Bringing the hand up to his lips, Link’s stomach gave a flip as the man gave him a brilliant smile, delight lighting up his features enchantingly.

“Nea. Nea Campbell.”

* * *

It had been two months since he saw him last.

It wasn’t a surprise, really. Allen was a diligent worker so he didn’t take off work often, and Link had kept to his weekly routine, causing him to see Allen, and only Allen, at Wegman’s every Saturday. 

Some part of him was disappointed at not seeing the handsome man again- Nea Campbell, he reminded himself. While he was relieved that he was able to return to routine, he also missed him. It was ridiculous, he’d only met him twice, and both times he’d made a fool of himself, and yet…

He found himself looking for him wherever he went. He visited him in his dreams… and in his fantasies. 

Even two months after the fact, he was still pining after him like a lost puppy. He barely even knew the man - It was pathetic.

He was constantly on the edges of his thoughts. Seducing him into doing things that he normally wouldn’t. He baked, read, ate sweets; He’d never jerked off so often. He even went to the store on a Tuesday once in his desperation to make the obsession end.

Nothing worked. 

The only reprieve he had was when he was busy. And so, he threw himself into work. If he didn’t think, he wouldn’t be tempted to hang around the grocery store once again.

His new-found devotion to his work didn’t go unnoticed by his colleagues. Even Bookman Jr. had noticed. He teased and joked about it relentlessly the second that he walked through the door every morning.

This is why it was so unsurprising to him when Bookman Jr. mentioned a winter festival. 

“Winter Fest. only lasts until Monday morning, so if we want to go, we will need to go this weekend,” Link overheard Bookman Jr. say. 

Deciding to stay uninvolved in the conversation to avoid being dragged along, Link merely stood up from his desk, and approached the condiments stand. 

The close proximity of the stand to his desk was both a blessing and a curse. While it was nice to have a fresh cup of tea so close by, it also meant that he heard all of the conversations and coming-and-goings from the table as well. 

Unfortunately for Link, bookman jr. was leaning in front of the tea bags. 

“Bookm-“ He started.

“Lavi.” Bookman interrupted dismissively, turning his attention to him with a irritating smirk. 

It was funny how one person’s smirk could be so irritating while another’s could- stop right there, Link. Focus on the task at hand. 

“Lavi,” He conceded, pausing in an attempt to keep the irritation out of his voice, “Could you kindly take your conversation with Miss. Lenalee elsewhere? You are blocking the food and drink counter.”

If anything, the irritation only seemed to encourage him, “Of course I can, Link!” He replied melodramatically, “You only needed to ask politely.” 

Standing up straight, he scoot down the counter one or two feet. The action irked him even more but he shoved down the irritation. It often took more energy than it was worth to force Lavi to do something that he didn’t want to do. 

“Okay, then how about 10 o’clock on Sunday?” Miss Lenalee suggested, replying to Lavi’s earlier statement before Link had interrupted them. 

“It’s a date!” Lavi replied, jumping off of the counter and pumping his hands in the air like an excited child. No one in the office batted an eye at the everyday occurance.

When Lavi turned to Link, felt a mixture of dread and resignation settle in his stomach.

“Heeeeey, Link~” Bookman Jr. sang innocently. He placed his arm around Link’s shoulders, the expression on his face just gleeful. So much for trying to read that new mystery novel this weekend.

“How about you come with us, Sunday?” Bookman Jr. suggested with a bright grin.

Link knew better than to try to say no.

* * *

Sunday morning was cold, borderline too cold. The warm cocoon of blankets of beyond difficult to leave. It was only the threat of “accidentally” sleeping in that got him out bed that morning. 

And that’s how Link found himself at the entrance to the Winter Festival at 10 o’clock in the morning on a Sunday, shivering in the 30 degree misty air.  
Lenalee and her brother were the first to show up, followed by Krory and Bookman Jr. By the time, everyone arrived, Link had spent an hour waiting in the cold weather.

Not long after joining Bookman Jr., Miss Lenalee, Komui, and his other co-workers though, he quickly became bored. He really didn’t have the patience to deal with his co-workers today. 

This was how Link found himself standing out in the cold, all alone, in the middle of the festival path. Most of the Winter Festival consisted of small food stands and carnival games. There really wasn’t that much to the event for as popular as it was.

Should he just leave? He could still finish that book today if he left now. The idea was tempting. It wasn’t until he turned to leave, that he saw it.

Link actually didn’t recognize him at first. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t seen him in over two months, or maybe it was because he hadn’t been paying attention, but now… now he couldn’t look away. 

Familiar wild, dark hair popped in and out of view as it slowly approached through the crowd. The rush that Link felt when he saw him was crushing. It was like an addict being re-acquainted with his addiction after months of withdrawal.

Nea Campbell was here. 

Here with Allen and his boyfriend (if their clasped hands was any indication), and he hadn’t noticed Link yet. 

He swallowed harshly in nervousness. Should he say hello? Would he even remember him? It has been quite awhile since they last saw each other. He stood there, people impolitely shoving into him as he continued standing in the walkway, but he didn’t pay the situation any mind. 

Indecision tore him in half, his heart and his mind warring for dominance.

Gratefully, the decision was taken from him. 

The moment that he saw Link was immediately apparent. Campbell’s eyes widened slightly before his lips spread into a characteristic smile. They looked so perfect, even from several feet away; soft, plump, and natural. What would they feel like to kiss? Would it be gentle? Rough? Passive?Dominant? 

It seemed like only a few seconds, (but was likely several minutes) before he was inches from his face. 

It took Link an embarrassing amount of time to register just how close they were. Immediately, he backpedaled a little bit to put some more space between them, a blush blooming across his face. He didn’t even notice it when Allen and his partner walked past them. 

“Lone time no see,” the man greeted breathlessly, his voice just as deep and rich as he remembered it being.

“Right. Yes, it has been a long time.” Link said back. He shifted a little in place, insecure about how to act around Mr. Campbell. 

“Would you like to walk with me? It seems like I’ve lost my group,” Mr. Campbell asked, taking another step closer to him. Link shivered at the intensity in his eyes. How could someone put so much weight into one single question? 

“Sure,” he replied, daring to smile just a little bit.

* * *

He honestly enjoyed himself much more than he thought he would. Who knew that simple rigged carnival games and junk food could be made so enjoyable with proper company (not that he was sure that his company could be considered ‘proper.’)? He actually was unsure what he considered Mr. Campbell. An acquaintance? A friend? A potential date?

He was attractive, witty, and has quite a sweet personality. Unlike many others, he could even keep up with Link intellectually, and seemed to actually like spending time with him.

It was no surprise to him that time seemed to fly. Of course life would move quickly, as soon as he began to have actually fun. It seemed like only moments later that the night was over. 

A comfortable silence fell over them, and they settle down on a bench in the nearby park. The Winter Festival was over, and it was time to go home, but neither of us wanted to leave. 

“I enjoyed myself today.” Mr. Campbell told him suddenly, breaking the silence easily. The smile on his face was genuine, and seemed to brighten up the very space around the two of them despite the almost pitch-back darkness.

“So did I,” Link admitted with the easiest smile he’d made in ages, and turned to look at the man. 

He could feel himself falling into his deep golden eyes and his sweet but masculine scent. It was like a dream. His nerves burned warmly like they were on fire but, he didn’t mind. Everything felt perfect. 

With every passing second, they leaned closer and closer to each other. Link could feel his breath on his lips. They brushed against one another. It felt heated, like he was a live wire exposed to cold air, cackling with energy. 

The moment, that could only be described as perfect, came to a close too early. 

But the Mr. Campbell’s- No. Nea’s, next words were a close second. 

“Link?” Nea started in a soft, uncertain voice.

“Yes, Nea?” He whispered back.

“Would you go out with me?”

The question left Link breathless, even in the nervous smile Nea gave him didn’t. There really was no other answer. 

“I would love nothing more.”

**Author's Note:**

> We hope that you enjoyed it. ;D


End file.
